Iran News Round Up

Religion, Culture, and Society

Hojjat al-Eslam Ali Borhan, Friday prayer leader of Mahriz, says he and the authorities of Mahriz would not tolerate the presence of any woman dressed in manteau (sort of like a raincoat) rather than the traditional chador. The Friday prayer leader said that some people may get used to the presence of naked donkeys without getting sexually excited, but now that the people of Mahriz are used to see women dressed in chador, the manteau would instigate immorality. The Friday prayer leader also asked God almighty never to bring about the day at which a cinema is opened in Mahriz which surely would serve as a den of immorality, since the dark of the cinema could provide opportunity to exchange telephone number between young men and young women.
Judiciary Head Shahroudi says filtering of web sites by Iranian authorities “to the extent it is possible, should be done after a legal process.”
Asr-e Iran expresses hope that the Iranian authorities leave up to Shahroudi’s promise to filter websites through a predetermined legal process.
95 percent of readers of Asr-e Iran demand resignation of the Islamic Republic’s Olympics chief whom they consider responsible for the poor performance of the Iranian delegation.
Ministry of Interior publishes a public communiqué with regulations of the Ramadan fasting.
Women demonstrate at the gates of the Iranian parliament protesting against “reform” of the family legislation of the Islamic Republic.
Discussing the new family legislation of the Islamic Republic, which abolishes the principle of consent of the wife to her husband’s multiple marriages, sparks a fight between former parliamentarian and current academic Koulayee and current member of the parliament Alia.
Chand-Zaneh [Polygamist] website starts its operations and discloses members of the parliament with more than one wife. The attacks are directed against Mohammad Movahed, parliamentarian from Behbahan; former officer in the Revolutionary Guards and current member of the parliament from Bonab and Malekan Salman Khodadadi, Mohammad-Karim Abedi from Ferdows, Tabas and Sarayan. According to the site, Abedi says he can justly and equally treat the three constituencies he represents in the parliament since he has good training in “equally and justly treating three wives.” The web site aslo outs Hamid-Reza Haji-Babayee, parliamentarian from Hamadan.

Politics

Following some polemics on the nature of the criticism against the Ahmadinejad government and the right or lack of such a right, former president Khatami says the government can only be strengthened in the face of constructive criticism.
Tehran mayor Qalibaf thanks municipality employees for their efforts to serve the people of the Iranian capital.
General Governor of Southern Khorasan says the performance of the Ahmadinejad government is nothing short of miraculous.
Ghaffouri-Fard, member of the Energy Commission Committee of the Iranian parliament, says that the Supreme Leader’s declaration of support to the Ahmadinejad government should not be interpreted as the Supreme Leader’s endorsement of a second term of Ahmadinejad presidency and the continuation of the current cabinet.
(E) RFE/RL: Supreme Leader appears to endorse Ahmadinejad.
Moetalefeh general secretary Habibi urges balanced political development and slow increase of political party activities in the Islamic Republic.
Kargozaran warns against splitting of the reformist vote with too many reformist presidential candidates.

Economy

Industry and Mining minister Mehrabian details $5 billion public subsidies to the industrial sector.
Member of the Iranian parliament’s Industry and Mining Committee says the Central Bank will open its coffers to the industrial sector.
Former speaker of the parliament Nateq-Nouri criticizes the privatization schemes of the Ahmadinejad government and points out that rather than transfer of ownership of the productive sector to private hands, publicly owned enterprises are sold to other publicly owned enterprises.
Iran Chamber of Commerce head Nahavandian says “true privatization can’t be done with state-employed managers.”
Economic information from of the Ahmadinejad government.
Asr-e Iran publishes a number of scenarios concerning rising inflation.
Tabriz Friday prayer leader Ayatollah Mohsen Mojtahed Shabestari demands that “statesmen listen to the advise of the Supreme Leader and solve the inflation problem.”
Asr-e Iran publishes a report on the sorry state of agriculture in Iran.
Economic expert Alviri says the economic policies of the Ahmadinejad government and the goals of the Economic Development Scheme do not match.

Trade

Agah-Sazi stresses the importance of improving the legal infrastructure for security of foreign investments in order to attract foreign investment. More.
80 percent of the mobile phones in the Iranian market are smuggled into the country.
Tehran Municipality contemplates building of Shahr-e Aftab [Sun City] Suburb with European and, especially, Italian participation.
(E) Oil price to increase through winter.
(E) Iran, Indonesia to set up direct air links.

Nuclear Issue

Russia’s Nuclear Energy head visits Iran.
Intelligence Minister Ezheh-i claims that the Islamic Republic has brought all the major powers of the world to their knees. Referring to the 5+1 negotiations the intelligence minister says Iran has forced “6 world powers to sit in front of us [Iran], and we determine the conditions of the…negotiations.” Ezheh’i also warned against external enemies and their internal puppets: “Today, the enemy is expanding deviational movements and is propagating unbelief, and such thoughts are close to the thoughts of the enemy and the Devil…The enemy is propagating drug abuse and immorality in the country, or trying to propagate false mysticism and [false] sacred matters by the way of sending false prophets claiming to be the Imam of the Era or being in contact with the Imam of the Era. I wonder how come they manage to make some people follow them.”
(E) Dutch pull spies over expectation of strike on Iran.

Diplomacy

Former chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines appointed ambassador to the Islamic Republic.
Elahe Koulayee, Iranian academic and Russian affairs expert, urges the Iranian leadership not to expect Russian support in the nuclear issue as a result of Iran’s support for Russia’s invasion of Georgia. Koulayee also says Russia will always pursue her grand national interests, in which Iran plays a very minor role.

Terrorism

Agah-Sazi publishes biographical information on Masoud Keshmiri, Mojahedin-e Khalq member and perpetrator of the terror bombing against prime minister Bahonar and President Rajai.
Agah-Sazi publishes some biographic information on General Mohammad-Vali Qarani, the Islamic Republic’s first Armed Forces Chief of Staff who was assassinated by the Furqan terrorist group in 1981.
(E) Iraqi troops take control of Camp Ashraf, the MKO base in Iraq.

Military and Security